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Parents' Guide to

Fanboys

By James Rocchi, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

The Force isn't with crude story of fandom and friendship.

Movie PG-13 2009 90 minutes
Fanboys Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 12+

Based on 7 parent reviews

age 3+

and Chum Chums

age 17+
I guess I used to be a "fangirl" and I really enjoyed this in an adolescent way - but I would NEVER let my kids see it!! Rude, crude, ridiculous and funny for a Star Wars fan. Kids wouldn't enjoy it anyway - and don't expose them. If you are looking for a middle-of-the-night kid of indulgence, go for it

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (7 ):
Kids say (10 ):

Featuring plenty of in jokes and cameos (Billy Dee Williams and Carrie Fisher both appear), FANBOYS is, like the behavior it chronicles, a triumph of passion over judgment. The idea of anyone being excited by the prospect of seeing Phantom Meance now kind of seems like a joke, and director Kyle Newman has minimal interest in asking his actors to actually shape a scene or portray an authentic character (that Marquette and Huntington are believable as separated old friends says more about their charm and skill than it does about the script).

Fanboys has a certain amount of kindness under the surface, but that surface is studded with bathroom humor, unfunny gags, cruel caricatures, and a boys' club attitude that makes women irrelevant (with the exception of Kristen Bell's just-one-of-the-dudes nerdy-hottie, who gets to realize her crush on one of the four -- which is in itself a weird, sexist form of wish fulfillment). Newman seems to be inspired by the pop culture zing and crude zest of Kevin Smith; hard as it is to imagine, Newman could take lessons from the smarts and heart Smith has hidden under the swearing and name-checking in his best scripts.

Movie Details

  • In theaters: February 6, 2009
  • On DVD or streaming: May 19, 2009
  • Cast: Dan Fogler , Jay Baruchel , Kristen Bell
  • Director: Kyle Newman
  • Inclusion Information: Female actors
  • Studio: Weinstein Co.
  • Genre: Comedy
  • Run time: 90 minutes
  • MPAA rating: PG-13
  • MPAA explanation: pervasive crude and sexual material, language and drug content
  • Last updated: January 9, 2023

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